Would you point a gun at a police officer, unless you wanted

Reference no: EM133317544

Question: A 16-year-old high school student and chronic runaway was pulled over by police on the 295 Expressway for driving erratically. She pulled out a toy handgun, pointed it at the officer, and was shot and killed. In a separate incident, a 15-year-old cancer patient was shot by PG PD police when he entered a sandwhich shop in which three officers were eating and pulled a gun on them.

These incidents are difficult to explain because they do not appear to be random acts of passion, rage, or felony. As one officer put it, "Why would you point a gun at a police officer, unless you wanted to be shot?

Some experts believe that incidents such as these are forms of a suicide by cop, where individuals force police to shoot at them in situations that normally would not involve threat or force. Studies have found that many of these shooting victims are white males in their 20s with a history of alcohol or drug abuse profile similar to suicide victims in general who are prone to suffer from depression, hopelessness, and deteriorating personal relationships.

The use of police to carry out a death wish is difficult to explain, but suicide is often difficult for a person to carry out, and using a police officer removes the burden from the individual. Also, life insurance policies do not pay for suicide victims and most religions forbid suicide, making it more problematic for a person to consider. There are no statistics, but it is estimated that up to 10 percent of fatal police shootings are provoked by those actively seeking to die.

Reference no: EM133317544

Questions Cloud

Code of ethics : Give an example of a code of ethics for yourself as a student going out on practicum.

List two proactive policing methods that can be employed : List two proactive policing methods that can be employed to prevent future acts of crime against victims of children abducted

What do you think this may have on life moving forward : Can you see the value of understanding what you choose to put in your body? What kind of effect do you think this may have on your life moving forward?

Design a leadership training program that includes training : Design a leadership training program that includes types of training that will you use with the participants (be specific).

Would you point a gun at a police officer, unless you wanted : explain because they do not appear to be random acts of passion, rage, or felony. As one officer put it, "Why would you point a gun at a police officer

Which is the more dangerous type of crime : which is the more dangerous type of crime? Which should be punishment more severely-street crimes or acquaintance based crime? Why?

Main types of female oral contraception : What are the main types of female oral contraception? Describe the process which lead to micturition.

Indicate structures of the brain that are involved : Describe ways in which his brain can perceive information from the outside world that could in turn impact his performance in your class.

What was the correctional system like in the 20th century : CRJU 3332 Kennesaw State University What was the correctional system like in the 20th century? What was some known and or newly established punishments

User Account

All Pages